Tom Robinson: Innocent or Guilty
In my opinion, an innocent man shouldn't be ordered to even step into an unfair court case. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Jem and Scout go through countless conflicts, including the trial of Tom Robinson and the rape of Mayella Ewell. Throughout the story, people considered Tom Robinson a mockingbird, an innocent man, and even an enemy.
In chapter ten, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird since they only compose music for people to appreciate. As the novel continues, I begin to consider Tom Robinson as a mockingbird since he helped Mayella frequently, nevertheless the jury still convicted Tom for his race, not due to what he did or didn't engage in. During Tom’s testimony Atticus asked if Mayella ever paid Tom for the services he did. Tom’s responded, “No suh, not after she offered me a nickel the first time… I knowed she didn't have any nickels to spare.”(Lee 191) Every day Tom completed most of Mayella’s chores to help her, not to earn a little extra money. After the verdict, Atticus explained to Scout and Jem that specific court cases aren't fair, “In our courts, when it's a white man’s
Every day when Tom walked by Mayella’s home, he helped her since he felt sorry for her. During Atticus’s speech at the courthouse, “And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman…” (Lee 204) If Tom Robinson felt sorry for what her father has ne to her, he wouldn’t attempt to harm her. When he stood on the witness stand, he described the story in his own words, Tom remarked, “She reached up and kissed me ’side of th’ face…” (Lee 194) Tom didn't follow Mayella and kiss her, however she kissed him. Since this is against the rules of society, she made it have the appearance that he disturbed her so she wouldn't be in trouble for kissing a black
Tom Robinson is a kind black man whom Atticus is defending against the charge that he raped Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows that he will lose because Tom is black, but he also knows that Tom is innocent and that he has to defend him. Tom Robinson is portrayed as a hard-working father and husband in the novel and he was only attempting to help Mayella since no one else would, but she made advances that he refused and her father saw them. On the witness stand, he testifies that he helped her because, "'Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun.'" (256). Even though Tom helps Mayella out of kindness and pity, Mayella is trapped and must accuse him of raping her to save her own life. Shortly after being wrongfully convicted
Tom Robinson is a hard-working African American in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. However, his life takes a tragic turn when he is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, daughter of the town’s least respected citizen, Tom Ewell. When he goes to court , even with the very capable Atticus Finch as his lawyer, his future looks grim. Regardless of the information that Tom Robinson and Atticus had provided that proved Tom as innocent, he was still found guilty. The reader can then conclude that the only explanation for this is that Tom Robinson was guilty not of rape, but of his being black. During the trial, Atticus states that, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it comes crashing down on her afterwards.” Atticus also states that, "Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, she shows how society in the 1930’s affects the lives of many people. One of these people is Tom Robinson, who is expressed to be a “mockingbird” of the story. A mockingbird is unlike several other birds and never harms anyone, therefore should not be killed because it would be like killing peace. Tom is used in the novel as a mockingbird to show how the town of Maycomb, Alabama is racist.
It was clear based on the evidence that Tom was innocent, but with the jury consisting of only white men in 1930's Alabama, they decided to convict Tom only because it was a white man's word against a black man's. This upsetted Jem and Scout as they were sure that Tom and Atticus would win the case. It made them realize that people with prejudice will make unfair decisions, even when it's clear that they are making the wrong decision: "...but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (Lee 323). Seeing this changes Jem and Scout's perception of the people living in Maycomb, as they start to question whether the people of Maycomb were as good-hearted as they thought. Nowadays, there would not be racial prejudice in a courtroom, however the jury that was biased during Tom's trial could be the modern equivalents of people who use racial profiling, racial bias, and stereotyping. The kids and the reader learn that people who make judgements and decisions based on prejudice are people who should not be considered
Yet, that is not enough to convince the judge or the jury to release him. Even though Atticus , his lawyer as well as Jem and Scout’s father is able to tell the jury that “Lying…this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men”(Lee 204). Tom Robinson a day later makes a desperate flee to try to escape from prison but is shot down and dies. After being killed attempting to flee from the confines of prison life, Tom, in an editorial by Mr. Underwood, is compared to, “a harmless songbird killed by senseless hunters” (Lee-242). Here again, the image of the mockingbird is raised; sighting another individual's discontent with the treatment of Tom by the town of Maycomb.
In “To Kill A Mockingbird” the trial scene clearly conveys that the Town of Maycomb is prejudice and racist towards Tom Robinson. The trial grabbed the attention of the Town of Maycomb and the outcome changed the opinion of the community. Atticus Finch was the only lawyer that would take on the case and defend Tom Robinson. The case that was presented had charged Tom with brutal assault and rape of an “innocent” white girl. As we learn more about the background of Tom Robinson in the case, we find out he was a poor working class African American who was just trying to do his job and later was falsely convicted.
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
Tom Robinson is a quiet, respectful and hardworking man, but all of that is irrelevant - he is black. The second he was accused of rape, the all-white jury had pretty much made up their mind. Despite the overwhelming evidence indicating his innocence, a combination of the individual jury members’ prejudices and pressure from their community led them to reach the unfair and sadly unsurprising guilty verdict. Atticus could prove that due to his crippled left arm, Tom was incapable of causing Mayella’s wounds. Link Deas claims that in all the years Tom has worked for him, he “ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. Not a speck” (195) - but which story does Maycomb want to believe? The one where a typical black man without reason or motivation assaulted a white woman, or the uncomfortable version that questions their racial stereotypes- one where an innocent black man pities a white woman? As even Scout understands, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts o...
Tom Robinson is guilty. Not only is that a false statement, it also shows how unfair we are when it comes to the black community. Obviously Tom Robinson was an innocent man, but since his skin color is black it does not matter, he would end up doing something illegal anyhow right? Wrong. I could have said more about what I saw, I could have helped more than what I did. But there it is again, I am white and I wanted to keep my peace with the townspeople. White supremacy is what the law is… but should that really be the law?
Was the trial fair? Could the trial have been changed if the person being prosecuted was different? Is Maycomb biased? With Tom Robinson’s trial it outlined the power of racism and how easily it can change the minds of people. It showed how racist the American South was back in the day. The reasoning to even say that Maycomb is racist because of the fact that the outcome of the trial was already determined before it even ended, Atticus and everyone even knew that Tom was going to lose. Another thing that can outline the racism in Maycomb and the racism in the courtroom is that the jury in the case would be very biased towards the case and maybe even fear for their safety because of people finding out that they voted not guilty towards Tom
Towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus decides to represent a colored man by the man of Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell’s daughter. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent, but he does not think that Tom will be found not guilty because of they way the townsfolk treat colored people. They treat them like dirt; like they are worth nothing. Atticus went ahead and represented Tom despite the fact that he knew the townsfolk would call himself and his children names and treat them disrespectfully. Even Scout’s relative Francis said rude things about them. “‘I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-...’ ‘Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.’” Atticus set a good example for Scout and Jem. He had a difficult decision to make, but he chose what he thought was
Being an African-American and living in a generally prejudiced town like Maycomb, Tom was already licked from the start. Tom was allegedly accused of raping a white person and as Atticus says, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (295). During his trial, Tom could have lied about his reasoning for helping Mayella, to keep himself from getting into more trouble, but instead he showed real courage by revealing the real reason behind his actions: “I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (264). Since Jim Crow laws were active in Maycomb, Tom’s answer was seen as a terrible mistake: “Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson’s answer” (264). It showed that he, being a black person, thought he was better off than a white person.
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”
Tom is a black man accused of raping Mayella Violet Ewell, who is a pauper ranked just above the Negroes. A defense attorney named Atticus Finch was appointed to Tom by Judge Taylor. Atticus was chosen because he was one of the only men that would defend Tom, and help him gain back his freedom the right way. Atticus is a Caucasian lawyer who try’s his best to fight for Tom’s innocence. During the trial Mr. Gilmer had the chance to question Tom and in the book Lee writes “‘You did all this chopping and work from sheer goodness, boy?”... “Tried to help her I says.”...... “You’re a mighty good fellow, it seems--did all this for not one penny?”..“Yes, suh. I felt sorry for her....” (pg 263-264 ) This is saying that Tom Robinson him being a Negro and all still put everything aside and showed kindness to Mayella and aided her when no one else would. It also said Tom felt
Tom Robinson, from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, was shot. Tom Robinson who was accused a raping a white girl and when put on trial, was found guilty and sentenced to death in prison. He attempted to escape from the prison and when caught by a prison guard, he got shot and he died. But this is not what killed Tom Robinson. Lee hints to the readers who is truly responsible for the death of Tom Robinson. What killed Tom Robinson was the pressure of Maycomb County and their views on how negroes should be treated verse how a white man should be treated. The actions and beliefs of the individuals in Maycomb who is to blame and who is to take responsibility for Tom Robinson’s death.